1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which can edit an image every area.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, there has been realized in products which comprise an image processing apparatus such as a copying apparatus or the like, containing area editing functions such as a trimming function in order to output only a partial area of an original image, or a masking function to erase only a partial area, and the like.
The applicant of the present invention has already proposed inventions related to the image processing apparatus having the area editing functions in U.S. Pat. No. 2,556,915 issued on Dec. 3, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,618 issued on May 30, 1989, and the like.
However, almost all of the shapes of the areas which can be edited and seen by the conventional copying apparatuses relate to a rectangular shape or a combination of the rectangle. As a method of designating such an editing area, two points on a diagonal line of the rectangle or end points of each line segment around the editing area are designated by a ten-key, a digitizer, or the like. In this case, there is no need to provide a two-dimensional bit map memory of a large enough capacity to store the shape of area in order to edit it. It is sufficient to store only the junction coordinates of the horizontal and vertical line segments which form the editing area. However, the shapes other than the rectangle or other than the combination of the rectangles cannot be processed.
On the other hand, as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,182 issued on Aug. 27, 1985, by the applicant of the present invention, there has been realized a product comprising an apparatus in which in order to execute the area editing of an arbitrary shape as well as the rectangle, a desired area on an original is encircled by using a marker pen of a predetermined color or the like and the original image is read and processed in a real-time manner. However, in this case, there is a drawback such that the original is made dirty.
Further, as proposed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 520,288 filed on May 4, 1990, by the applicant of the present invention, there is also known a method whereby an area of a free shape which was designated by a digitizer or the like is stored into a two-dimensional bit map memory. The area information is then read out of the bit map memory simultaneously with the reading of an original. However, the above method has a drawback such that the resulting costs are obviously high.